10 simple tips to enhance your natural beauty

culled from:belfasttelegraph.co.uk


Beauty tip 1: Exfoliate
It’s often hard to keep up with our skin. One minute we’re smothering it in moisturiser, the next it’s back to being dull and flakey. To compliment your moisturiser and ensure that your skin stays lovelier for longer, make sure you leave extra time to exfoliate daily. Skin continually produces new cells and, as the new cells appear, the dead ones tend to sit on top of the skin making it appear dry and dull. When this happens, there’s not much point in moisturising. Why waste your expensive body butter on dead skin cells? Try buttering up after you’ve buffed the old cells off, and you’ll notice a drastic change.
Beauty tip 2: Have sex
Getting down and dirty is the ultimate beauty booster. Just 15 minutes a day spent doing the deed leaves your cheeks flushed; your lips lusciously red; and your skin glowing and beautiful. Studies have shown that regular romps increase blood flow and bring essential nutrients and oxygen to the skin, which flush out harmful toxins and make us appear younger. Plus, having someone run their fingers through your tresses can give it that gorgeous mussed-up bed head look, and we all like a bit of va-va-voom from time to time.
Beauty tip 3: Ditch the alcohol and cigarettes
Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes doesn’t do our skin any favours. Smoking allows a staggering 4000 toxic substances into the body during every puff, and too much alcohol causes skin to dry out and eyes to become puffy – not the best start for boosting your natural beauty. Quit smoking, and only drink in moderation to improve your skin’s elasticity and reduce puffy eyes. This is a sure-fire way to make you look younger and more beautiful.
Beauty tip 4: Rest
The phrase “beauty sleep” is famous for a reason; sleep really does make you beautiful. During periods of deep sleep our cells renew themselves, and lack of sleep – or poor quality of sleep – leaves us looking and feeling a bit worse for wear. If you have trouble getting your beauty sleep, try and relax. Add a few drops of aromatherapy oils to your bath, try deep-breathing exercises, and avoid caffeinated drinks before you head to bed.

Beauty tip 5: Strengthen your hair with protein

Keratin – a type of protein – is the key structural component of our hair and nails. By eating protein-rich foods we can reinforce the keratin in our hair to make it healthier and stronger. It’s not all about what you put on your hair, but what you put in your body too. Dietician Dawn Jackson explains that “the foundation of all our new hair, skin, and nail growth is in the nutrients we eat”, so it’s a good idea to boost the natural protein in your hair by eating protein-rich foods such as eggs, nuts, seeds, shellfish and meat for stronger, healthier locks.

Beauty tip 6: Groom your eyebrows

Few things can change your look as quickly and drastically as nicely plucked brows. The right brow shape can really frame your face and compliment your favourite features, whilst bushy brows distract attention away from your best features. There are many different ways of removing your brow hair too: plucking, threading, tweezing and waxing – just find the way that suits you best and you’re well on your way to being more beautiful in an instant.

Beauty tip 7: Be healthy with fruit, veg, and water

It’s a beauty tip that we’ve heard time and time again, but it’s true: we are what we eat, and being healthy on the inside makes us even more beautiful on the outside. This tip is pretty straight-forward; drink plenty of water to flush out harmful toxins in your skin and increase skin’s elasticity; get plenty of exercise to sweat out the toxins; and eat all of your fruit and vegetables for vital nutrients that will make your skin glow – simple, easy ways to boost your beauty.

Beauty tip 8: Wear mineral makeup

Don’t clog your pores up with a thick, heavy foundation that won’t allow your skin to breathe. Instead, opt for kinder ways to cover up imperfections such as mineral makeup or BB creams. Most mineral powders even help to prevent spots whilst BB creams moisturise your skin and even out skin tone without clogging your pores.

Beauty tip 9: Go for a brisk walk

A brisk walk is an excellent way to boost your circulation and get beautiful glowing skin. Walking improve your sleep, enhance mental function, and help to counteract depression. This will all reflect in your complexion as you appear happier and healthier. You might be able to get rosy cheeks from a pot of blusher, but you won’t get the beautifully natural glow of flushed, healthy skin by using a makeup palette.

Beauty tip 10: Protect your skin

It’s important to protect your skin whatever the weather, particularly if yours is sensitive. As temperatures dip throughout the winter, we are more likely to crank the heating up, which can have a detrimental impact upon our skin by drying it out and making it appear aged. Summer skin can be dried out too, causing it to look dry, dull and flakey. To help prevent dry skin, make moisturising a regular part of your routine. Flare-free skin makes us look and feel beautiful.